15 Rom Coms to Watch While in Quarantine

March has become a hectic month, with schools going online and everything being shut down because of the coronavirus. In times like these, it’s nice to be able to watch something nice and fun to distract you from what’s going on. Here’s a list of 15 rom coms that I’ve watched while in quarantine.

1.
The Wedding Planner

Jennifer Lopez plays Mary, a rising star in the wedding planning industry who bonds with a handsome doctor (Matthew McConaughey). The problem? He is the fiance of a wedding that she’s planning! The Wedding Planner is a fun typical rom-com that is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu.

2.
Only You

Marvel fans are familiar with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Marisa Tomei as Spidey’s Aunt May. But they are a perfect pair in this rom-com together. Only You is about Faith (Tomei) who is convinced that the name of her soulmate is Damon Bradley, she flies to Venice to find him, but she meets Peter (RDJ) instead. Will she decide to make her own destiny? Available to rent on Amazon Prime.

3.
Failure to Launch

Matthew McConaughey plays Tripp, a 30-something man who still lives with his parents. His parents hire a woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) to pretend to date him in an effort to get him out of the house. This movie is a fun twist on the rom-com genre. The side storyline with Zooey Deschanel’s character Kit and her struggle with a Mockingbird is also hilarious. Available on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

4.
Kate & Leopold

Leopold (Hugh Jackman), is a duke from the 1800s, Kate (Meg Ryan) is a marketing executive at the top of her game. When these two meet through time-travel there is potential for romance...but is it sustainable? Hugh Jackman is incredibly charming as Leopold and his old-fashioned nature adds a humorous element to the story. Kate & Leopold is streaming on Netflix.

5.
Set it Up

Set It Up is a new rom-com that came out last year on Netflix. It’s a cute story about two assistants trying to get their bosses together so that they become less insufferable, but is there something brewing between the assistants as well? While this follows a lot of tropes of the rom-com genre, it still manages to stay fresh and interesting.

6.
Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle is a classic rom-com starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. After his wife’s death, when Sam’s son calls into a radio show to try and find him a wife, Annie is captivated by the story and writes to meet him. Will these two find each other even with the distance between them? Available to rent on Amazon Prime.

7.
Pretty in Pink

John Hughes is famous for his 80s movies, and Pretty in Pink is a classic. Andie and her friend Duckie feel like outcasts at their high school. When a rich kid named Blane asks her out, it seems to good to be true. Are they able to be with each other despite the social divide? If you’re a fan of romcoms, John Hughes, or Molly Ringwald you need to check this movie out. Available to rent on Amazon Prime.

8.
Some Kind of Wonderful

Some Kind of Wonderful is another 80s famous rom-com and is almost a gender reversal of Pretty in Pink. Keith pursues the popular Amanda but is told she is only dating him as a joke. Meanwhile, Watts, Keith’s tomboy friend, realizes she likes Keith and wants him to stop going after Amanda. This is a cute 80s rom-com that’s worth checking out. Available to rent on Amazon Prime.

9.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding

This movie is famous for how hilarious it is, and rightfully so! Toula falls in love with a non-Greek man, but will her famliy approve? Is her huge proud Greek family something she can ever escape? If you’ve never seen this before, you should definitely do so! Streaming on Cinemax.

10.
Say Anything

The tagline says it best: “To know Lloyd Dobbler is to love him. Diane Court is about to know Lloyd Dobbler." You are no doubt familiar with the much-parodied scene where John Cusack holds a boombox over his head while outside his window; you should definitely see the classic that it’s from. Streaming on Hulu.

11.
Picture Perfect

Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Bacon star in this movie about a woman who can’t get a promotion because her boss believes there is nothing tying her down. So she pretends she is engaged to a man she met at a wedding. Will things get complicated when she asks him to pretend to be together in front of their co-workers? Streaming on HBO now.

12.
Made of Honor

Tom (Patrick Dempsey) is a commitment-phobic playboy who is best friends with Hannah (Michelle Monaghan). He realizes that he’s fallen in love with her, but she is engaged, so he becomes her maid of honor and tries to take the wedding down from the inside. While this rom-com is pretty formulaic and predictable, it is still a fun watch. Streaming on Showtime.

13.
Can’t Buy Me Love

Ronald Miller is a nerdy highschooler who wants his status to change, so he pays the popular Cindy Mancini to pretend to go out with him. He realizes soon that popularity is not all that it seems. This movie is a classic example of the fake-dating trope and features a young Patrick Dempsey riding off with the heroine on a lawnmower. This film is an 80s classic that you’ll definitely love. Streaming on Cinemax.

14.
While You Were Sleeping

Lucy (Sandra Bullock) rescues her crush from an oncoming train and while he’s in a coma, his family believes that she is his fiance. Lucy keeps up the ruse because she is lonely and loves the man’s family, but she starts to develop feelings for Peter’s brother Jack. What’s going to happen when Peter wakes up? Streaming on Disney Plus.

15.
She’s the Man

In this modern version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Viola pretends to be her brother Sebastian in order to play on his school soccer team so she can beat her ex. What happens when she develops feelings for her roommate Duke Orsino and when the school’s “it” girl Olivia falls in love with her? If you’re a fan of the original play, this movie is a fun take that you might enjoy. Streaming on Cinemax.

Some of these films are absolute classics that are staples of the genre and others have surprisingly low rotten tomatoes scores. Either way, they are all enjoyable and are sure to give you something fun to do when stuck in your house!

Ashmita Shanthakumar is a student at the University of Utah pursuing a BA in English and Political Science. She is also a writer for Scorpius Magazine and was previously a copy-editor for The Daily Utah Chronicle.